Introduction
“My idea of gardening is to discover something wild in my wood and weed around it with the utmost care until it has a chance to grow and spread.”
Margaret Bourke-White
A wonderful and inspired idea by artist Margaret Bourke-White. But unfortunately if you want a well kept garden or grow your own vegetables or fruit, you will need a different philosophy.
Pruning is the act of removing selective parts of a plant. There are many possible reasins to prune your plants. It might help to shape your plants, improve or maintain their health, prepare for transplantation or increasing the quality or yield from fruits and flowers.
Best time for pruning
Most pruning is best started in the late winter (end of January - beginning of February). Pruning roses and pruning vineyards for example are best done in the beginning of February. Check out the menu on the left to find the plants you wish to prune.
Basic pruning techniques
Pruning basically is hurting a tree or plant in order to help it in the long term. However it is still important to use the correct technique so you can minimalise problems for the tree. A pruning cut should always be just after a bud. Your cut should be sloping in an angle of about 45 degrees. Make sure you make the incision facing away from the sky so that no rain can run in, causing the incision to rot.Pruning tools
There are various tools available for your pruning needs. For most amateurs regular pruning shears or pruning scissors will probably be more than good enough. And don't forget a nice gardening glove to make protect yourself.